Connect to You
by Sugaby
Summary: They take the same bus but haven't spoken until now, when they realise their shared interest in using retro phones and decide to take their relationship further by exploiting its features from texts to unappreciated vines.


_**AN** another repost of something written a while ago while trying to better myself at writing drabbles as drabbles and not letting them become long short stories. Enjoy!_

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**[ Power On ]**

They're at the same bus stop everyday, at the same time and waiting to board the same bus that'll send them home.

Yet they never say a word to each other. And it's been like that for a while, so long that neither can recall when exactly it was they first saw each other and so long that it'll be strange if either of them are ever absent-liked being in a looped song and noticing a skip in the play.

Since they first came to the bus stop, one of them-named Aoba-has always stood right by the open space where the bus sets itself and opens its doors for passengers. And the other has always been slouched in the far corner, all to himself and never uttering a word nor sound, and never really being fascinated enough to look at something for more than four seconds at a time. He looks about seventeen with his scruffy blonde hair, stoic expression and face covered in piercings (and probably other places that Aoba believes too painful to be targeted) and any glimpse of his eyes resonate a strictness to them; a coldness that contrasts to their vibrant, fresh green.

Aoba looks at him and reckons '_not my type of crowd_'.

Occasionally, he's not one to judge. But he looks at the guy and at himself and the difference in their appearances-not to mention where and how they're postured-puts pieces together to fit.

There's no mystery there, really.

Aoba pulls out his slim, electric blue phone from his jacket pocket and turns it for a regular check and the shoves it back inside just as quickly. He sneaks a glance over to the guy in case he happened to see that. If they were to befriend each other then it's likely possible that one of them would laugh at the other for retro being in his list of interests, at the top actually. The phone is a very old model but the weird part is using a cell phone at all when in this day and age nearly everyone old enough to understand how a coil works owns and uses one.

What, he can't detour from the crowd? It isn't illegal to express individualism is it? Afraid not, unfortunately for today's society and everyone else nagging at him to shape up and buy one. By everyone, he means his grandmother. And two long term friends who just want an excuse to record any of his drunk talk when they get together once a week and go out for drinks.

The bus comes on time and Aoba gets on, pays the right amount that'll take him home to the East district and sits in his usual seat, middle aisle on the right against the window. And the young man, prior to following right behind him, claims the seats in the far back of the bus.

They ride the same bus everyday and at the same time until Aoba comes off first.

Still, they haven't spoken once.

**[ Contacts ]**

"You have one of those?"

Aoba isn't discreet today with using his old model phone and gets caught in mid-flip by the last person he expected to approach him. "...Y-Yeah..." He says, wearily. "I know everyone uses a coil these days but, like..." He's thinking of being honest because he's terrible at lying but it's not as if he owes the guy any kind of explanation. The phone belongs to him and him using it is _his_ business. Instead, maybe the guy would like to explain his blatant ignorance towards personal space and why he was chatty all of a sudden.

The guy pulls out the same phone from his pocket, except it slides and it's the _Thunder Green_ colour theme.

Well...Aoba's nearly speechless. "That's nice." For the longest time, he was certain that he was the only person around still using a phone like that. He never would've guessed that if and when they were to ever speak there would be an unexpected, coincidental twist.

"Compared to yours, yeah."

Aoba takes offence to that and closes down the lid of his phone with a sassy slap, a huff and puffing out of cheeks. "I apologise it's so common looking!" The nerve of this guy implying that his phone is a million ways better even though there's not much difference. Okay, wow so it _slides_ instead of flips. Is Aoba meant to clap now because he's incredibly amazed?

"s'not like it can be helped." The guy says and retreats to his seat in the corner.

"I chose this colour because I like blue." Aoba believes that a choice comes down to preference and feels that he has to stress it to this guy. "And I'm used to having a contract with Toue Inc." A very well known and successful company that practically runs most of the island, Midorijima. It's not the best company to go for in terms of financial benefit when one text bleeds your credit almost dry. Figures though because on the plus side, it has great features that brings you a lot for your money...What little of it is left in the end, if you're lucky. "So how come you don't have a coil then? What, you too cool for that stuff?"

"I don't make decisions based on what everyone else is doing." The guy says, which is reasonable and sensible and has Aoba nodding because he likes what he hears and can agree. "I like the phone so I bought it. What about you?"

"Same, basically. And, like, I'm in to retro."

"I can tell." The guy looks at Aoba's long, blue mullet hair.

Aoba turns his back on him after that. Just in time for him to see the bus coming from up the road. It's a wonder why they were even talking. You know, apart from one of them sneaking up on the other to look at his phone like it's the first present he's opened on Christmas day. Maybe this is why they hadn't spoken until today. Because clearly one of them is unable to talk to people properly, not because Aoba had blocked their opportunity to converse by hiding his phone this whole time.

"Oi," They aren't even done moving along the aisle when the guy taps Aoba's shoulder and thrusts his phone in to him, who in turn is startled and has to juggle with it, cursing every time it slips from his fingers, again and again. God damn it!-no doubt this guy would stick him with the bill for damage repairs if necessary and Toue Inc. is costly enough-What now?! "Put your details in there."

"Huh!?"

"Your details." The guy repeats, sterner. "Name. Number. The works and etcetera."

Aoba makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat, disturbed that this is going on. He can't run since they're on a bus-the _same_ bus, mind you. Whatever the guy means by etcetera he can forget it because he's lucky to even get a name, as far as Aoba is concerned, knowing he could care to be a little more cautious rather than just going along with the request. "There you go." He says when he's done storing his data in a new contact and pushes the phone back to it's owner.

The guy reads from his screen, taking in the new info. "...A...o-ba."

"Mhm. You wanna tell me your name as well, kiddo?"

"Not kiddo. I'm Noiz."

"Ah," Aoba wonders if that's his legit birth name or he's being fooled to go along with a nickname. "Nice to meet you, No-iz-u." He pronounces in the way his name had been, waving bye to him when he goes to sit down in his usual seat, the only normal, consistent thing about today.

**[ Text Messaging ]**

'_Yo_'.

"Really?..." Aoba's squints at the text message on the screen of his phone and wonders why Noiz thought there was a sense to sending him a text with only two letters.

Especially when he's sitting right over there in that corner of his.

'_Yeh_' Noiz texts back, shamelessly averting logic.

"I'm standing right here!"

'_I know and the view is nice_.'

"What are you tal-" Aoba feels it, the-lingering-stare on his ass, then he hears Noiz laugh at his humiliating failure of trying to cover up and step back at the same time to smack in to the large, glass panes behind. Blushing for two reasons, Aoba shouts, "P-Pervert!"

**[ Call / Face Time ]**

"Hurry. You're late."

"I know already!" It's not quite easy glaring at the small box in the bottom left of the screen that has Noiz's face in while running to the bus stop to catch the bus he needs to be on, but Aoba manages it, in-between unbalanced takes and releases of breath that sound like he's burdened with asthma. "I'm coming!"

"And so is the bus." Noiz retorts over the cry of the bus engine as it approaches behind him. "Like I said, hurry up."

Aoba tells himself that if is to collapse here and now then nothing belonging to him goes to Noiz, none whatsoever. "Ugh, can't you tell the driver to wait if I don't get there in time?" He asks, hoping.

"Nah," Noiz says, absolutely no help at all. "It'll be fun watching your chicken legs run after it."

"You're a total brat!" How is Noiz even aware of the unfortunate skinniness of Aoba's legs when he takes a precaution to mask that with legwarmers, on a general basis!? It fires him up more, makes him dizzy and winded in his head more too as the increase in speed causes the air to whip against his face, but he makes the remaining four minute distance with desperate leaps and arrives at the bus stop but only for the bus to drive off, without Noiz. Aoba bends over in front of him, steadying his breathing, and asks in-between, "What's wrong? Why-hah-didn't you...hah-g-get-hah-On?"

"It's not a big deal." Noiz says, nonchalantly. "I'll get on the next one."

"Idiot! You should've got on that one!"

Noiz did really want to get home and save himself an scolding earful from his strict parents. It's whatever though. They can have at him when he returns if it means he won't ride the bus back alone. "I'll get on the next one." He repeats, in a conclusive tone. "I actually prefer riding back with you."

"That's..." A lot of things like weird and unexpected and let's not forget considerably touching which, as much as Aoba can say he knows about a guy he hasn't personally known a whole month yet, isn't like his usual character. Doesn't matter though because Aoba is touched, and he sits besides Noiz and they wait the next forty minutes together. "Thank you."

**[ Memo ]**

"Takoyaki. Crepe. Fried Doughnuts. Onigiri. And Nikujaga."

"Stooooop!" Aoba whines, just beginning to slouch in his usual seat on the bus. "I haven't eaten yet and you're just making me more hungry!"

"Are they any good?"

"What, have you not tried them before?"

"I wouldn't ask if I had."

"No way!" Aoba exclaims, calling bullshit. "You've, like, been deprived your whole entire life!"

Noiz asks innocently, "...Have I?"

Aoba doesn't answer straight away, focused on thinking Noiz cute when he's not on the same page as him. "To answer your question, they're pretty great."-Understatement, blatantly, but he can't get in to it too much without his starvation bringing him in to a breakdown. "You should totally try them when you get the chance!"

"Okay."

"Tell you what," Aoba insists on taking out his flip up phone and creating a fresh memo to prove that with blue text and a lighter blue background. "My granny's probably cooking a lot tonight so tomorrow I'll bring some leftovers for you to try. Sound good?"

_Heavenly,_ Noiz thinks but wouldn't be caught dead actually saying. "Whatever, do what you want." He says and looks away to the window on the opposite side just to escape eye contact, emotionally unable to handle the selfless gesture. Only saints and angels and figures of dreams deliver food no questions asked and it's like Aoba is all of those things at once.

**[ Camera / Wallpaper, Screensaver ]**

"Aahh-Om!" Noiz's mouth closes around one of the takoyaki on a short stick and eats it, experimentally chewing and getting used to trying it for the first time. Salty, the adjective tingles along his taste buds and it's all he can think of. That and how right Aoba was when he said that he hadn't lived until he tried one and some fried doughnuts and that one messy crepe Aoba handmade himself with a spoonful of nikujaga and in the end it's like he didn't skip out on breakfast.

"Well...?" Aoba asks for the verdict. "How is it?"

"Not bad."

"On a scale of one to ten."

"...Don't know."

That vagueness is what Aoba should've seen coming. Silly him for thinking delicious food would get a louder reaction. "Either way," He takes a stick of takoyaki for himself. "I can't let good food go to waste so I'll tuck in. Excuse me! Ah-nom!"

Noiz watches, interested in the way Aoba's jaw works and drawn to how the light in his eyes glimmers as a way of reacting to the consumption of food that owns tastes and flavours that are just so out of this world. Seeing him like this isn't a bad sight, Noiz decides, and wanting to capture it isn't wrong either.

"O-Oi! Noiz!? What the heck-!?" Aoba gasps, outraged by the theft crime Noiz initiated by swiping what was left of his takoyaki for himself and pressing a button on his phone to make the camera shutter go off on their faces; one shameless and the other looking dazed by how quickly it ad happened. "If you wanted more then you could've just helped yourself!"

"s'not it." Noiz mumbles as he licks his lips. He turns to the taken picture of his phone, where he looks happy to be eating someone else's takoyaki-_Aoba_'s takoyaki, who in turns seems to have dizzy swirls in his eyes from the shock. Nudging Aoba, he says "Here, look."

"Delete it, now!" Aoba orders, begging for some miracle to give him a a re-do because like hell he'll let that sort of image of him exist!

"No, I like it." Noiz proves that by setting it as his lock screen photo, though he can tell he won't always have the heart to just slide it in to disappearing.

"But it looks like we're dating!...Err," Aoba coughs to the side, cheeks starting to flare a little. "I mean...t-to have both of u-us there on y-your screen...L-Like that." It's within the category of couples of using the same picture of themselves for lots of profile images, right!?

Noiz stares for a while, wondering how he can be so paranoid. But then he gets it, kinda. "Ah...You mean because it's just the two of us here and there's food."

"Wherever you're going with that I'm advising you to _detour_ now, thanks!"

**[ Vine ]**

"We're gonna be waiting for a while," Aoba unwinds a pair of earphones and splits it between himself and Noiz as they huddle close together, hoods up to block any obstructing sunlight that'll reflect on the blue phone's screen as they watch Tangled until their late bus comes. "So we might as well." Aoba mentions hearing good reviews about the film but doesn't talk about most of them coming from him in between the six times he's watched it-seventh counting now.

Noiz is in for a real treat, apparently.

And apparently is right when the most amazing thing happens just as Rapunzel is singing about her daily life in the tower, because Aoba is singing too. It's a moment rare and too good to let time sweep away and so Noiz sneakily takes out his phone, deciding it's time for a vine.

Aoba has no clue, lost entirely in the film he loves more than he'd admit as he keeps up with Rapunzel in a sing-along, lone duet. "I'll play guitar and knit and cook and basically just wonder when will my life begin~"

'_Cute_' Noiz smiles, liking the way the english slur comes out in a higher tone and gentle vocals. He's probably signing his own death but it would feel like a crime to stop now and a crime to deprive people of Aoba's nice voice. The camera turns to his smug face and he ends the vine telling his audience, "There isn't any difference."

**[ Ringtone / Music ]**

Aoba's excited when they eventually get around to discussing their music interests and he says he has a few pop songs, one or two ballads and thinks TVXQ are cool. But what ruins it all is Noiz thinking its okay to slam his favourite band once he gets to expressing his love and devotion to GOATBED, aka one of the greatest bands on the planet.

That's why he's practically speechless when...

"C'mon, Noiz!" Aoba sighs, patience thinning and foot tapping as he stands there waiting for whatever's meant to happen to happen. Without an explanation he was told to call Noiz even though they weren't even a metre apart, like before with the pointless texting. "Look, you haven't even told me why this is so important. Nothing's happening so I'm gonna-"

_"Any flight oh might boy, AI CATCH the fall scanning blue~"_

"...W-Wh-Wha-!?" Aoba's speechless the second his beloved goatbed spills in to his ears, gasping and convinced he's dreaming as well when Noiz turns his phone around to show him the screen that's got his face from the weird photo he took a few weeks ago for caller ID. "Holy sh-! Noiz...is this a joke!?"

_"Heaven is here, the first and worst. Don't look out, fake out each other. Three, two, one, go!"_

"I thought you hated it!" Aoba shouts over the song as it goes in to its instrumental, because no way can Noiz actually have that song on his phone, and actually hear it and not want to shatter the glass surrounding them in the bus stop.

"I do." Noiz stops the song but that's barely convincing (meanwhile Aoba tries to not look so disappointed because he was really getting in to that, not that he ever gets out of jamming to GOATBED). "It's just convenient like this."

"What is!?"

Noiz doesn't eye roll like he feels like doing. He likes that Aoba is confused and hysterically delighted _because of him_. "You calling me."

**[ Wifi ]**

The bus is running late again in one of the weeks so instead of waiting around at the bus stop they spontaneously mutually agree to briefly dine. Nowhere fancy really, unless you take well to the re-designing of McDonalds' interior with it's low hung ceiling lights and artsy wall framed paintings and at least there's free wifi, which they use to its full extent.

The setting is nice. The food is satisfactory (_but it's not Pizza_, Noiz occasionally moans about every now and then). And the mood is comfortable. A couple of weeks ago, neither Aoba or Noiz would've predicated they would be hanging out together like this.

Everything is nice, until...

"What the fu-!?" Aoba's enjoying a french fry when several screens abruptly project from Noiz's wrist as he syncs to the wifi and he chokes from the shock as it sinks in, coughing in-between the interrogation. "Oi, Noiz! I d-don't believe...Is that seriously a coil on your wrist!? _You_ have a _coil_!?"

As usual, Noiz doesn't see the-_very big_-deal. "I don't _not_ have one." He says, all smarty-pantsy since technically he isn't wrong, the misleading bastard. "You just assumed I didn't because I still use an old phone."

Using an old phone implies you prefer it to a coil though, doesn't it!? "B-But you...!" Aoba can't believe this. Okay, so he _assumed_, but it's not like he was given a reason to think otherwise and Noiz never set him straight! Or maybe...He wanted it to be like that, to lead him on with a lie for kicks. "...Ah, I see how it was for you now."

Noiz pays attention to octave drop that's like plucking cheerfulness out of someone's heart and the screens disappear. "It sucks you had to find out this way. Sorry. Nothing's changed though. I'm not different from who I was when you met me."

"...H-How do I know I can trust you again?"

"You don't. But now that you know I'm like you I don't think you want to walk away from me."

"Well...that's because I'm sure something brought us together. Destiny. Fate. The universe-"

"A bus."

Aoba covers his mouth just as his eyes squint and it's like he's trying to stay composed and not cry.

"Really," Noiz half-sighs in to his bite of a few french fries and lets Aoba get out the laughter he couldn't keep in much longer. "You're a bad actor."

Aoba mutes the laughter in a second and smacks Noiz's arm and he barely flinches. "Shut up! Whose fault is it that I laughed in the first place!?" He accuses, passing on the blame for anyone would laugh in this situation. They'd turned the mood all serious like a hit tv drama series but they both knew neither of them were buying it more than the other was trying to sell it. "You always have to be a smart ass brat, don't you!?"

"You set yourself up." Noiz shrugs, and reaches for some of Aoba's fries-the nerve!

"We're not ever watching Tangled together again!"

**[ Power Off ]**

"Aoba, wait."

Passengers move around Aoba who stands still in the middle of the aisle, just about to join the crowd and get off the bus at his stop when Noiz called out to him, sounding urgent. Pocketing his phone, Aoba turns it off and gives Noiz his full attention. "Yeah? What is it?"

Noiz hasn't ever really been much of a talker. In fact, if he can help it then he just doesn't, that might be why his thumbs ache from constant texting. He believes in the power of doing, that actions speak a million volumes louder than any song, poem or speech about anything. That holding on to Aoba, gazing at him, and closing the space that keeps them apart so he can do what he's thought about doing for a while, kissing him, means a lot more than any jumbled wording of a love song or poem as a confession.

"_Mmph_!..." Aoba's taken for surprise and he's dizzy for a moment again like that time Noiz spontaneously helped himself to his takoyaki. It was practically like he was feeding him because it was still in his hand. And right now, he's practically on some kind of cloud because he almost can't feel his legs.

Noiz knows and can't help the smirk he pulls away from the kiss with. He knows Aoba felt it too, that's why he's-Well, one of two reasons why he's blushing so much.

"I-Idiot! You perverted brat!" Aoba's frantically glancing all around at the seated passengers that may be looking their way. Some are, including the driver. He blushes more and smacks Noiz in the arm, frustrated and sick of being the only hysterical one. "W-What the heck was that for!?"

"This is your stop, right?"

"...Y-Yeah. So!?"

He doesn't get it and that's fine. It means they'll have a lot of texts and calls to get through later tonight. And it means Noiz gets to kiss him again before he sends him on his way.

"Glad you made it home safely."

**OMAKE! [ Social Networking (SNS) ]**

**slyaoba**_ oi wtf is this!? vine . co - xxxx_

Noiz knew from the moment he created that vine of Aoba singing along to Tangled that it was only a matter of time until he found it, tracked him down and wanted to murder him for the humiliation it would undoubtedly bring him.

**noiz** lol what?

Yup, that's right. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't see a problem at all.

**slyaoba** _omg u lil shit_

**slyaoba** _take it down now!_

**noiz** _why should I?_

**slyaoba**_ bcuz_

**noiz** _yeah?_

It took a little while for Aoba to reply and Noiz couldn't refuse the smile it put on his face, knowing his boyfriend was so infuriated and hysterical on the other end. Again, it was because of him.

**slyaoba** _omg noizu pls_

**slyaoba** _I DID A BAD THING OKAY_

Noiz _chuckled, his boyfriend too adorable like this._

**noiz**_ s'alrite ur hair lets u get away with that :-)_

**slyaoba**_ fuck you!_

**noiz** _onii-san knows best (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc) _

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**AN** _I know phones have a lot more functions (depending on the model) but I didn't want this to take longer to finish._

_Omakes are something I'm starting to include a lot now. They're quite fun ^^_

_If you thought those two long term friends mentioned in the beginning were Koujaku and Mizuki then you are very much correct. And yes I finally watched Tangled a while ago and it's really good! Why there are no rapnuzel au fics in the dmmd fandom is baffling!_

_**PS.** Forty minutes is a long time to wait for a bus but Midorijima vehicles are shit when it comes to being punctual. Like Aoba, you're better off walking to get where you need to be._


End file.
